Ohhh, Pai. One of my happy places. San Francisco feels gloomy and stressful today so I'm mentally transporting myself to Art in Chai, where I spent countless (literally. The lady definitely thought I was a degenerate) hours reading, FaceTiming, and journaling while sipping delicious Chai lattes.
While Southern Thailand can be somewhat polarizing (people either love the beaches and parties or feel scammed by the locals and overwhelmed by the crowds), most people I met while traveling fell in love with Northern Thailand. I didn't really have expectations for Chiang Mai or Pai (again, having no expectations is key) and I fell in love with both cities.